Buyer Beware

Hello I just want to warn people about a man that sells Chihuahuas. I thought he was a reputable breeder. BEWARE. He has a beautiful web site and you would think that he was great. Wolves in sheep skins. He does not fullfil his end of the bargin. He does not send you your dog after you pay full price. You never get a refund sent to you either. So beware that you do not fall in his trap. If you want full details write me at luwanah@yahoo.com. Put Wade D in the subject line. I can show proof that he is not some one you want to do buisness with. PEOPLE BE WARNED He is with d**** chihuahuas

***Edited By: pyrmom on 10/20/2005 5:29:44 AM***Reason: removed full name and full business name

I hate to tell you this, but this is partly your fault... you never send money to anybody that claims to "breed dogs" until you check into thoroughly. Also, your best bet is to always find a breeder of within' driving distance.

halosfire, finding a breeder that is within driving distance is not always an option. when we began our search for a french bulldog . we only found two reputable breeders in our state and both had at least a two year waiting list. my husband is disabled and i can drive, but not long distances because of permanent damage in my hands. we spent several more months on the net, emailing and even calling breeders throughout the states until we found one that we truly felt comfortable with. they questioned us as much as we did them ! we got a healthy , happy puppy. he was shipped halfway accross the states. he arrived in excellent health. i would suggest people do their homework and research potential breeders. also go through an escrow service. i would have much prefered being able to get a puppy from a breeder that i could go and meet. it just wasnt an option for us.

Breeds like frenchies are pretty uncommon. In this case, I would search the net but not with a chihuahua. Chis are so common you can even adopt one from the pound. I would be more comfortable seeing the breeder and the dogs in person. I want to see the home too.

I agree with dusty and not just with less popular breeds. I live in South Dakota and I have to drive at least 8-10 hours to find a REPUTABLE breeder for Shelties that has more than 1 litter ever 2-3 years. It's one of the reasons I started breeding. Now, there are LOTS of Sheltie breeders much closer than that. They are all either Puppy Mills/Farms or they are BYB's that have NO knowledge concerning the breed. Chi's are a common breed (as are Shelties, and breeds like Labs, Poodles, GSD's) and there are a lot of breeders out there - but not necessarily GOOD breeders. They can be tricky to find, might ask A LOT more than you're looking to spend, and may have a super lengthy wait.

You can get screwed over by someone you can drive and meet just as easily as you can by someone shipping a puppy to you. Trust me, I've done it. I also don't recommend Shelter dogs for everyone because they can come with a lot of baggage - both emotional and health wise. Most people who are really looking for a breeder don't really want a Shelter dog and I don't blame them.

I do agree that when people get taken by a bad breeder it is usually partially their fault for not looking into the breeder more thoroughly. Ask for references - and several of them. Use your common sense. Ask lots of questions. It makes a difference. Every bad experience I've had with a breeder usually had something to do with the fact that I'm too trusting and didn't ask enough questions.

Me too. I breed Chis. I want people to come see my dogs, and I don't like whe they ask me to meet them. I want them to see mom and dad and the way they live. I can't believe some people don't want to know this stuff. I could have my dogs locked in cages for all they know. But anyway, I would never purchase a breed from out of driving distance if I could find it in my own town. I live in a teeny town, it's like a mile long and there is actually a Chihuahua kennel here in town, Envy Chihuahuas.

"Shelter dogs for everyone because they can come with a lot of baggage - both emotional and health wise." Abby, I am a bit bothered by your statement. How many shelter dogs have you fostered? How many shelters dogs have you adopted? I actually recommend shelter dogs. You save a life and most are not young puppies and much easier to train. I foster and my fosters have no so called baggage.

omg, iam so sorry you ment up with some-one so bad , my life goal is to save as many maltese as i can.....but my dear,sweet mother, gave me her chi ,that by no choice of her own ,cant take care of any longer ,i have 3 chi's now 2 i have gottin from the pound....are you looking to breed or just have a new member to your family????????

loving, abbylynne is right. what do you really know about a shelter dog ? if you are looking for a certain breed and temperment, you have no guarentees with them. i'm not saying do not adopt from shelters. i think its wonderful that people do. but if you already have pets at home and you adopt one from a shelter, what are you going to do if the dog turns out to be aggresive with your dogs or even your children. the strays at our shelter are given three days for the owner to claim. then they are immediately put up for adoption. the shelter workers have no idea how these dogs are going to react once they are adopted. i have volunteered at our shelter and trust me there are dogs that have been returned because of temperment issues.

I foster for the pound. I haven't fostered a bad dog yet. I am no dummy I go see the dog first and play with the dog. I interact with the dog for an hour or so. Dogs are not good at hiding their true feelings.

I never said all shelter dogs are perfect. Some are darn right mean. But you have two eyes and you have a brain. Play with the dog, interact with the dog. Bring the whole family to meet the dog first. You can walk him, play fetch, rub his belly for as long as you want. If he is nice then you can take him home. No dog is perfect pound or no pound. They all come with baggage and hard work especially young puppies. I have never met a perfect puppy from any breeder. They all take time and you get what effort you put in.

yes, i have two eyes and a brain and have also been around animals alot longer than you. so dont even try to insinuate that i am stupid when it comes to animals. i dont care how loving a dog is at the shelter. or how much time you go and spend with him . or how well he gets along with your children . when you bring him into your home. you are still dealing with a stranger. all i am saying is that instead of telling people that they should always adopt from a shelter , you also need to tell them that there is always factors to consider beforehand. shelter dogs can be unpredictable. you dont know what the dogs have been through or what thing could set them off. its better for someone that they dont expect the perfect pet. its harder on the dog to go to a home and be brought back later because it did things that the adopter "didnt expect"

To touch on both subjects (unless there are more and I missed them!).....

Bad Breeders....I don't think it's necessarily always the buyer's fault. I interviewed the people I bought from. They had wonderful, glowing references too. I spent hours talking with them in their house and being around them at their house. They handled the dog most of the time, but they knew how to handle the "trained" dog and I didn't...so it was all about "teaching" me how. I got really, really, really taken. They were the sweetest-acting people this side of the Mississippi River...and I don't think you'd have seen them any different. They were real good about making sure no one else was there and the place was clean and the dogs were quiet and there were no puppies to be seen and....I could go on forever. It wasn't until we learned the dog was aggressive and went BACK that we learned those poor women who "lived alone up there on that big hill" actually had over 20 people up there. It wasn't until later that we learned about the cult they ran up there. It was until that day we went back that they had a bunch of men come out of the house with high-powered rifles firing them all around the property while we were trying to get them to take back that dog. ....Yeah, people can sure deceive. Anyway, sorry you got taken. It happens to the best of us I suppose.

I think sometimes people forget that not everyone is on this site. Not everyone knows where the petstore dogs and cats come from...I didn't. Never would've come to this site either...if I hadn't been looking for answers about those horrid people. I also didn't know what a BYB or puppymill was...never even heard the terms. Call me clueless..whatever. I just didn't travel in those circles. A lot of you have "been there and done that" and some of us are still going there and doing that. Sometimes...we just live through life having no clue until something (or someone) wakes us up. Sometimes...it's just the jerks who are selling the dogs.

Shelter pets....the shelter here actually offers something called Pawsability. It's a two week trial period for you AND the dog. One of you thinks the other is the most dreadful thing since zucchini (nasty stuff)...then you can go your seperate ways, no questions asked, no money lost. Ask about it at your shelter!

So, I'm going to get off my soapbox...pray that this response doesn't get lost in cyberspace...and pray that I haven't terribly upset anyone as that is never, ever my intention. There are mean people out there, and I try real hard NOT to be one of them.

Shaunna - I 100% get what you're saying!!! That's why I said partially - not totally. And in your case, obviously not true. I was more talking about the people that don't ask questions, don't ask for references, and don't even ask for more than one picture of the dog they're looking at and then they wonder why they got screwed? (and I point a finger at myself here as I've been one of them...) BUT you met the breeder and didn't ship - which also backs up my point. You can get taken by people you meet just as easily as you can from a distance.

I answered the other post about the whole "Shelter Dog" issue. dusty and I are on the same page here. I know too many people who have gotten a dog at the Shelter, it didn't work out, and they took it back, weeks or months later. Is that fair to the dog? I have 3 rescues - all with their own baggage - so my opinion is based on personal experience. I also have a puppy family that got a GSD at the Shelter and the dog bit their son several times within the first couple of days they had it and they took it back (they spent 2 day - about 3 hours each day - at the Shelter playing with the dog. They got it home and it freaked out. They tried to ride it out and give the dog a fair chance before taking it back). I have another puppy family that got a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from the Shelter and put $2500 in vet bills into it within the first year. Not ALL Shelter dogs have baggage - but it's much more probable that they will than with a pup from a GOOD breeder.

As I said in my other post - I think your options are Shelter or Good Breeder. Not pet store, BYB, or puppy mill. But as a breeder, I know the difference between one of my rescued Shelties and one of my well bred, well socialized puppies - in every aspect : training, temperament, socialization, health...

Some people just aren't cut out for getting a Shelter dog. They just aren't. And when you paint the picture that these are all great dogs that just got accidently left there - or dropped off by bad people - then people think every Shelter dog will be the best dog they've had. Not always true. Getting a Shelter dog is about the same as getting one from a bad breeder in the risk you take health wise and temperament wise - but you aren't putting money in scum bags pockets.

You say you went to the house, interacted with the dog and it's current owner. You never ever buy a dog that the owner insists that you "don't touch at the moment" for ANY reason. That's fishy right there, and should have set you off... period. That screams troll. Also, you meet the people... with the money... and hand over both at the same time. That's how I roll, that's how it works. NO dog to switch to my hands, no money coming out of it. Plain and simple.

I just wanted to clarify - I didn't say ALL rescue/Shelter dogs come with baggage - I said they CAN - and I feel they have a greater chance of having them than a puppy from a good, responsible breeder. That's why I said they aren't for everyone. Some people do great with a rescue/shelter dog as they have the patience and the ability to work with a dog that may need special attention - even if it's just a little bit of special attention. A lot of people can't do it - and don't realize what they might possibly be in for. I've met Puppy Mill dogs of BYB dogs that are fine as well - but they tend to have more issues than a well bred, well socialized puppy/dog. My point was more that you can't assume that because a person wants a dog that they should go to a Shelter and get one.

I said "Chis are so common you can even adopt one from the pound. I would be more comfortable seeing the breeder and the dogs in person. I want to see the home too."

Just saying that buying from the net sight unseen for a chihuahua is borderline ridiculous. I am sure you can find one within driving distance because chis are very common. So common that you can find them at shelters regularly. Given the choice between a chi sight unseen I might go with the pound chi at least you can see him and evaluate his personality. It is very difficult to evaluate a breeder over the phone and the internet. You can be sent fake pictures and so on. A lot of scammers out there.